Tips for Fueling Up Your Boat

Fueling up is never exactly an enjoyable experience as a boater, but it’s a necessary part of boat ownership. If you’ve ever cringed at the thought of spending the time and money necessary to fill up your boat, there are fortunately some ways you can save in both of those areas while at the pump.

With this in mind, here are some tips for fueling up your boat when you’re at a marina in Fenton, MI:

Know the size of your fuel tank: Know exactly how much fuel you need to get your tank to full. If your fuel gauge is broken, that doesn’t necessarily preclude you from being able to determine your fuel levels—they commonly break in boats, it seems. If you have a sense of the size of your tank and how much you need to get to full, even if it’s just an educated guess, that estimate will save you time and will also help you spend less money.

Never try to top off the tank: If your tank is close to full, stay safe and never attempt to top it off. When you do this with a car, there’s an automatic shutoff at the pump. This technology just doesn’t exist in the boating world. Most fuel pumps are old, and if they have “automatic” shutoffs, they aren’t usually reliable. Plus, the extra half-gallon you’d get from topping off your tank in your boat won’t get you nearly as far as it would in your car anyway.

Don’t chalk the handle: Never, ever chalk the handle, whether you’re using a fuel key, lighter, water bottle or anything else. Yes, fueling can take a long time, especially if you’re forced to use a slow speed pump and you’re working on more than 100 gallons of tank space. However, propping the handle is very dangerous. There should always be someone closely monitoring the pump as you’re filling it up. Chalking the handle will result in a delayed response time if there’s a spill that occurs while you’re fueling.

Don’t use boat soap: Almost a quarter of all boat owners will have a spillage at some point while fueling their vessel. Some people have heard that using some sorts of dish soap will correct a spillage in the water. However, dish soap actually just makes the fuel denser than it was, causing it to sink to the bottom. It will sit down there for years and years. Rather than evaporating off the surface, it will kill off the life on the bottom of the water. If you do spill, ask for a fuel sorb and clean up as much as you can.

These are just a few tips that will help you stay safer at the pump while saving time and money on your refueling costs. To learn more about the fueling process and other maintenance issues with your boat, visit Lake Ponemah Marina or contact one of the professionals at our marina in Fenton, MI today.

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